1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to the field of stable, irreversible, hydrophilic gels and more particularly to blends of poly(amide, amine or alcohol) and hydrophilic poly(aldehyde) which can be used in dressings for a variety of applications including cosmetic applications.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It has been known that polyvinyl-pyrrolidone (PVP) complexes with polyurethanes to yield hydrophilic blends which can be used as wound dressings or in cosmetic preparations. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,156,601 discloses a dressing which includes a tacky gel of polyurethane and a poly(N-vinyl lactam) such as PVP with a degree of ring opened pyrrolidone groups. U.S. Pat. No. 5,420,197 describes hydrophilic gels formed by poly(N-vinyl lactams) such as PVP with a degree of ring-opened pyrrolidone groups, and chitosans. Other references of general background interest include U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,135,755 and 5,206,322.
Although some of the hydrophilic gels described in the art can be used for wound dressings and other dermatologically compatible applications, many hydrophilic gels known in the art are reversible and have a tendency to cold flow. Accordingly, there is still a need in the art of dressings, implants and dermatological compositions for gels which are irreversible and do not exhibit cold flow.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide dressing compositions and dermatologically-compatible compositions which include gels having hydrophilic and absorbent properties and which do not exhibit cold flow.
It is a further object to produce gels without a need for expensive equipment and/or processing.
It is another object to provide gels of poly(aldehyde) and poly(alcohol, amine, amide) which can be used in a variety of products such as cavity dressings, drug delivery patches, face masks, implants and wound dressings.